C3N and InnoCentive Engage Chronically Ill Adolescents to Participate In Managing Their Own Health

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- InnoCentive, Inc., the global leader in Challenge Driven Innovation, along with Collaborative Chronic Care Network (C3N), today announced a $10,000 Ideation Challenge calling for ideas geared toward an interactive, game-based solution to motivate adolescents with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, as well as other chronic illnesses, to participate in managing their own health. The Challenge will be announced today at Inventing Breakthroughs Day, a C3N event held at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. The Challenge is open to the public and can be found on the InnoCentive website at https://www.innocentive.com/ar/challenge/9932749.

Americans receive only 50 percent of recommended care and typically perform only about half of the “self-management” procedures and behaviors necessary to keep them healthy. C3N is creating a better chronic care system by introducing collaboration between and among patients, clinicians and researchers. As part of this initiative, C3N is utilizing InnoCentive’s Challenge Driven Innovation methodology, process and technology platform to seek out ideas for a video game that harnesses inherent motivation, enhances personal engagement through information, strengthens the effects of ‘positive peer pressure,’ and uses game dynamics to affect real-life behaviors. To ensure a successful initiative, C3N will also solicit input from youth afflicted with these diseases to learn what game elements would be of most interest to ensure a greater probability of adoption.

A successful video game solution will provide a sense of community while bridging the gap between the virtual and real worlds. The game will bring together patients, peers, family, friends and healthcare providers presenting the ability for members to motivate and even positively challenge each other. Measuring one’s success will also be a key factor to the video game and should offer a way to assign ‘scores’ to healthy behaviors which can then lead to team or group competitions. Taking advantage of a community approach will help alleviate the isolation that many of the afflicted youth feel while boosting morale.

“InnoCentive has an impressive track record when it comes to helping companies find solutions to some of the most elusive issues in health and human services, making them a perfect partner for C3N,” said George Dellal, project director, C3N. “We’re confident this Challenge will bring out unique and effective ideas and solutions that will transform the way we treat adolescent illness and empower those afflicted to take an active role in their own care.”

InnoCentive is the pioneer behind Challenge Driven Innovation, an approach that connects Seekers - leading commercial, public sector and non-profit organizations with pressing challenges or problems to solve - with millions of potential Solvers worldwide. Harnessing this power of open innovation enables faster and more cost-effective results, more efficient problem resolution and accelerated innovation with less risk. In recent months, the InnoCentive Challenge Driven Innovation approach has led to numerous healthcare solutions, including the identification of a biomarker for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, a new delivery method for folic acid to women in third world countries, and new approaches to treating diabetes.

This Challenge is open to anyone with an idea that fits the published criteria, and requires a short (2-5 page) written description of the approach, along with drawings, diagrams or screenshots to illustrate the idea, if applicable. Submissions for this Challenge will be accepted through June 18, 2011.

“C3N is a unique network of organizations and individuals coming together to improve the care of chronically ill young people. This type of collaboration is rarely heard of in the healthcare industry where most work is conducted in silos, so C3N should be applauded for its efforts,” said InnoCentive President and CEO Dwayne Spradlin. “This approach of looking beyond an individual organization’s walls aligns very closely with our approach to innovation, making this an ideal partnership.”

About InnoCentive

InnoCentive is the global leader in Challenge Driven Innovation that bridges the gap between great ideas and actual solutions to drive measurable results. Recognized as an open innovation and crowdsourcing pioneer, InnoCentive’s proven methodology, expanding global community of millions of problem Solvers, and cloud-based technology platform enable organizations to tap all potential sources of innovation – employees, customers, partners, and the world’s largest Solver community – to accelerate their pace of innovation and evolve into true Challenge Driven Enterprises. Leading commercial, public sector, and nonprofit organizations such as Eli Lilly, Life Technologies, NASA, nature.com, Popular Science, Procter & Gamble, Roche, Rockefeller Foundation, and The Economist partner with InnoCentive to help them solve their most pressing problems and challenges. For more information, visit www.innocentive.com.